alimentanvsalimentarWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“alimentan” and “alimentar” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#12,969
“alimentan” frequency rank
#7,510
“alimentar” frequency rank
20479
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature alimentan alimentar
Definition Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de alimentar. Dar comida o alimentos.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set alimentan and alimentar apart are highlighted. They share 8 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

9 ch
alimentan
9 ch
alimentar

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. alimentan ([aliˈmẽn̪t̪ãn]) and alimentar ([alimẽn̪ˈt̪aɾ]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by a single letter - n in “alimentan” becomes r in “alimentar”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 20479, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

alimentan is recorded at frequency rank #12,969, classified as averb, pronounced [aliˈmẽn̪t̪ãn]. alimentar is at rank #7,510, tagged as averb, pronounced [alimẽn̪ˈt̪aɾ].

Glosses for this pair are partially populated in our dataset, but the full side-by-side definitions above should still guide you to the right choice.

With a confusion score of 20479, this pair ranks #259,169 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of alimentan vs alimentar

Shared letters: aeilmnt. Private to "alimentan": -. Private to "alimentar": r.

"alimentan" · 9 letters · shape VCVCVCCVC  ·  "alimentar" · 9 letters · shape VCVCVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • alimentanailmentan · aliemntan · alimenatn · alimenntan · alimentann · alimentna · alimenttan · alimetnan
  • alimentarailmentar · aliemntar · alimenatr · alimenntar · alimentarr · alimentra · alimenttar · alimetnar

Frequency comparison

alimentan#12,969
alimentar#7,510

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "alimentan" and "alimentar" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([aliˈmẽn̪t̪ãn] versus [alimẽn̪ˈt̪aɾ]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "alimentan" or "alimentar"?
"alimentar" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #7,510 in our Spanish list, against #12,969 for "alimentan". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering alimentan vs alimentar

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “alimentan” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list